Hi Everyone!

So TetRogue launched on itch only 3-4 Days ago and already it has well over 2000 players, been added to 71 Collections (lets say 70 as one is mine), gotten 12 ratings all 4/5 or 5/5, and lots and lots of awesome feedback so thank you everyone!

Feedback

You've been amazing with the positive support for the project but a big extra thanks to those who've been critical of issues, pointed out things missing, or stuff that makes no sense at all. It has all been taken on board and I've got a nice long checklist of stuff I need to change, add, fix, or test!

Lots'a Blocks

So with 5.1 out and gaining a lot of love I've been working behind the scenes on new stuff. As you no doubt noticed each new shape has a new block design, and with lots more shapes on their way that means lots more blocks! Here is a sneaky peek at some new block designs:

(and yes, that is a little cameo by me on the end there ;P couldn't resist inflating my ego)

Alpha 6

So in between client work, family stuff, and cursing my own Imposter Syndrome I have been chipping away at Alpha 6!

Alpha 6 introduces some major additions, the most obvious being the Shop!

The idea will be similar to Vampire Survivors gameplay loop. You play, earn points, struggle because all the mutations are crappy, lose, and then go to the shop to buy upgrades, new (nice) shapes to make your next attempt smoother so you can earn more points to unlock more stuff.

This is still kinda in the 'hmmm will this be fun?' stage though. I'm toying with a few other gameplay loops including the Balatro 'you unlock stuff by progressing or achieving things' model and the midway between the two 'some stuff is unlocked as you play, others are unlocked with spending points' so it really is up in the air right now. Any feedback is welcome on the idea!

TetRogue's Future

So the idea with TetRogue was to use my limited programming skills to build a really nice looking vertical slice that I could shop out to much more skilled programmers (or maybe even publishers) so I could get someone to build the real version.

This isn't off the table (seriously, if you're a publisher say hi!) BUT I've shocked myself with how much I've been able to make even on my limited skills, so currently the project is going ahead "solo" (I use quotations there because I'm using AMAZING music from Towball who I strongly encourage you to check out!!!). I may even entertain the idea of doing a Kickstarter to raise funds so I can commission new custom music from Towball as well as for marketing and to cover my own expenses as the developer of the game, but I don't feel the games "there" yet to go asking for money!

But What About Plans?

Well, there are a few things in the works.

For starters I've been building the game with gamepad support from the beginning. This is for a very specific reason:

I plan to bring TetRogue to as many store fronts as possible including Steam and if I'm gonna be on Steam in the future I sure as hell want that cute little Steam Deck Supported green tick! :D

I also plan to release the game on Linux and Mac alongside Windows!

The whole thing is built with Godot 4.4 which gives me a lot of versatility in releasing on different platforms so I'm also not ruling out a mobile release too if I can get the on screen controls to feel nice (personally I find touch controls for a lot of games a HUGE turn off so I'm hyper critical of 'game feel' when it comes to bringing TetRogue to mobile).

So That Wraps This Up!

I'm not gonna keep detailed Dev Logs on TetRogue like I have with other projects. I much prefer the idea of just stream of consciousness rambling like this in the future, telling peeps about cool little facts, showing off horrid bugs, and showing off awesome new things, so no idea how often you'll get updates but hopefully there'll be lots of exciting news as things move forward!

Thanks for taking the time to read this,

and seriously, you all rule <3

-Timbo